A Lion & the Rockpool Rap

Every year at the end of the summer term Year 2 put on a show for the parents. This year the play Rockpool Rap was chosen.

Timmy was given the part of Archie Inksquirt, the octopus manager. He was amazing! I'm not just saying that because I'm his Mum; I lost count of the number of teachers & parents who came up to me after the performance saying how fantastic his acting skills were! His character really shone through the lines he spoke & he brought real life to his part.

Luke was one of the Shark Gang who bully Clive the Clam (a huge rock star in his tiny rock pool) when he first arrives in the Big Ocean seeking fame & fortune on a larger scale.

Luke may of been the smallest Shark (can you believe that all these boys are in the same class & Luke is actually older than them all!), but he was the scariest showing his sharp teeth with great gusto & singing at the top of his voice 'Scram Clam! You're a fish out of water!' Like Timmy, he also stamped his character on the part & out shone all the other Sharks. I also had many many teachers & parents saying how wonderful Luke's performance was. We were so proud of them both.

Annie-Joy also took part in a little performance with the rest of her nursery class. It had a jungle theme. As the class also did the Banardos Big Toddle as part of the theme day we were asked not to get our children dressed up in fancy dress but just do something simple. Annie-Joy wanted to be a lion so I painted her face for her & used the furry ears I made for Jordan when he was three.

 It was strange seeing a lion in the back of my car on the way to school!

The class nervously sang several animal themed songs for a small audience of parents. Annie-Joy got an attack of stage fright when her friend next to her burst into tears (the pressure must of got to her, bless her heart!). Annie didn't want to perform any more after that, which was a shame, but we had many excellent private performances of all the songs & dance moves at home so it didn't matter that much. Annie-Joy was very very proud of the medal she got for taking part in the Big Toddle & she LOVED being a lion 'club' for the afternoon!

Free Range Kids





In my humble opinion, there's nothing better than wide open space....

...to be free to run in!

The sheep in this field agree...

.... but preferred to view us with suspicion from a distance.

Luke thought it was a good idea to watch the sheep too (he loved the clumps of their soft wool scattered on the ground).

The kids enjoyed digging in the dirt with sticks...

....and looking to see where the little stream sprang from.

We climbed the steep hill in the heat.

The ridge at the top brought a welcome breeze & time to chat together.

Trip trapping over the rickety bridge (no trolls were spotted).

Over the style...

and back to the gate of the field where we started our walk. Thankyou Mum & Dad for taking us all on such a lovely afternoon's walk!

Cakes & Biscuits!

Do you remember that I learnt to knit recently? Well, the knitted cupcake was the next thing I made after knitting the little monster. It's from a pattern from Woman's Weekly (hahahaha!!!!). I added the flower & the beads to make it prettier.

I've just finished making a jammie dodger for Timmy. I popped him to bed last night & later found that he had taken my copy of Mollie Makes magazine from my bedside table & fallen asleep reading it along with his favourite book 'Biscuit Bear' by Mini grey! He had obviously read the article on felt biscuits avidly because this morning he told me all about how to make the jammie dodgers..... So of course, I had to make him one! A bit fiddly doing the splat & heart but lots of fun & worth it for the finished result.

The Green Box

We walked home from school in the sunshine today. The kids enjoy sitting on the green exchange box. Today I thought a little snack of chocolate rice cakes might be in order. I like simple things. :o)

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A Rainbow of Dinosaurs

I love Fridays because Lee often has the day off work, we have pizza & salad for tea (no cooking!), the school pick up is usually happy & care free as we all anticipate the joys of the weekend & we spend Friday evenings together as a family doing something fun (we call it Family Fun Night). Good behaviour allowing, the children also get to choose an after school treat to enjoy on a Friday. Today's treat for Timmy, Luke & Annie-Joy was the Natural Confectionery Co's Dino Mix sweets which not only taste delicious but look gorgeous too! (But where are the green ones to complete my rainbow?) Lee was intrigued to see that black carrot is used to make the sweets! Interesting! Jordan's treat was going to the junior school disco. He is there now, boogie-ing the afternoon away with his friends & no doubt enjoying a hot dog or two!

This week has been especially full & hectic so the weekend is all the more welcome (although we're still busy it's a different routine & usually, there's time to breathe). Will tell you all about our week's adventures soon. Happy weekend everyone!

I Did It!!!!! :o)

My friend Anne & I completed the Liverpool-Chester Bike Ride today! Altogether I cycled 34 miles from my house & back again! It was a really brilliant experience. The weather was really, really hot. The other cyclists were friendly for the most part & the views were fabulous! Riding up out of the Queensway Tunnel at the end was hard going but the cheers & support of the Davies Tribe plus our friends & the other spectators spurred us on!

Huge thankyous to my parents who provided a lovely picnic at the half way point. It was much appreciated! Also thanks to Anne for coming with me for moral support. I am so glad to be able to call you a friend. It was fun to cycle the day away with you! And for those of you who don't know, I did the cycle ride to raise money for Stop the Traffik an organisation that works in the UK & all over the world helping people who have been sold into slavery, seeking to raise awareness of human traffiking & working to see an end to this awful trade. If you would like to sponsor me too please go to my Just Giving page HERE or text EMLY76 £2 to 70070 which donates £2 to Stop the Traffik (the text is free so it only costs you £2). Thankyou to everyone who has sponsored me so far. It really means a lot to me. And now it's time for a soak in the bath before I am unable to climb the stairs!! :o)

Will Your Anchor Hold?

We have just returned from the Boys Brigade Awards service at our church where our boys received badges for their first year of service. Jordan also received his Bronze award badge & Timmy & Luke received their Red award badges. They are very proud of them & so they should be! They have worked & played hard this year in BB.

In case you are wondering about the post title, I chose it because we sang the hymn 'Will you anchor hold?' as part of the service. Well, the phrase 'we sang' is one I use loosely because none of us realised that we should of started singing the first verse until the guitarist had reached the chorus & from then on we limped our way through the next three verses & choruses! I must admit that several of us got the giggles but we all gave it our best shot. Luke sang with his usual gusto & enthusiasm even though he had no idea of the correct tune (well, nobody else did either!). I have made a mental note to learn the hymn properly for next year's service so that I too, can sing with gusto! It was great to be a part of the awards ceremony. Seeing so many boys & young men really enjoying being part of something that teaches them to value Godly principles is very moving. I am glad that our boys can be part of it too. I hope & pray that being in Boys Brigade will help them to know that, as they hymn says, they have an anchor in Jesus who will hold them steady through whatever storms & trials they encounter in life. :o)

Happy Father-Birthday!

At last I have photo editing software on the home computer thanks to Lee! So in honor of Father's Day I am posting some pictures from Lee's birthday back in March.

The children designed & made Lee's cake for him. It's a Liverpool football shirt. They were really proud of their creative efforts!

Luke made a letter 'e', Timmy made the letter 'L', Annie-Joy made the number 3 (because she is three it's hers!) and Jordan made the other 'e' & the number 5.  So happy birthday Lee (again!) & happy father's day. You are a fabulous Dad & your children love you very very much! :o)

Work in Progress

Annie~Joy & I spent a very happy morning decorating a little wooden table with gorgeous Basic Grey papers. I was warned that decoupage was addictive & now we both know it's true! It's fun doing a creative project with my girl. :o)

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Green Fingers

Last year the boys school had a big push on entrepreneurial skills & every class came up with a business plan & then made & sold their products to raise money for school. Jordan's class baked & decorated fairy cakes. Timmy & Luke's class decorated terracotta plant pots & sold them as a grow your own herbs kit complete with seeds in a homemade packet, soil & lolly stick marker.

We faithfully planted both lots of basil seeds & waited for them to grow. Sadly Tim's seedlings died after a few weeks but Luke's are going from strength to strength! Timmy's beautifully decorated pot is now home to a geranium which is also flourishing wonderfully!

Annie-Joy planted a bulb when she went to toddler group with Nanny. It's growing taller & taller & taller! The sunflowers that the boys planted in Boys Brigade are also growing strong (thanks to a little bit of mummy licence; Tim's original seed never sprouted & he was so disappointed so I planted a new seed secretly. Shhhh!). It is so nice to have the kitchen window sill full of plants that the children have helped to grow. It makes me smile to see green things as I go about my daily tasks. It also makes me smile to see the children's delight as their seedlings grow.

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Bedtime Stories

I read a lot. I always have at least three books on the go at any time these days. I used to read three books a week when I was in secondary school. I always had my nose in a book & I could get lost in the imaginary world to such an extent that everything around me would disappear. It got to be a bit of a joke in my form group in school as I would be so engrossed in my reading that it would take the entire class to call my name before I realised that the register was being taken & it was my turn to say 'Yes Sir!'! I lost count of the times I looked up from my book in bewilderment.

In English classes we used to have to take it in turns to read aloud from the chosen book. I never knew what page we were up to reading though because I got tired of waiting for everyone to read. I was always chapters ahead because I just couldn't wait to find out what would happen next! The teachers must of realised because I never got told off for having to ask what page we were on when it was my turn to read.

These days it is harder to carve out time to read what with the demands family life puts on me etc. It is a luxury that I have had to forego for a while. I didn't read for years after I finished studying A levels & my degree; I just didn't want to after spending so many years having to read rather than reading for pleasure. But now I find I want to read again & it's fun! I am especially enjoying reading with my children & introducing them to some if my favourites like Swallows & Amazons and The Chronicles of Narnia. Recently all six of us have been reading Alice in Wonderland together too. It's great fun especially when we try to read together in our bed! The photo shows the stack of books that sit on my bedside table at the moment. Click the piccie to see what books are there if you like! Jordan read The BFG (which I bought as part of my research for an art exhibit I am doing in August) in a weekend! He takes after me!

Anyway, I have pondered & reminisced for long enough! The grass needs cutting & a little girl needs feeding & taking to nursery school soon. Hope all who read are well. Till next time! ;o)

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Knitting Monster

A while ago I learnt to knit, or rather I re-learnt to knit. I learnt to knit as a child but never progressed beyond being able to knit a plain scarf. I remember knitting a teal green scarf one winter while watching the film Somewhere In Time with my family & some visitors (can't remember who they were though).

Some twenty years later I have now knitted myself a little monster cover for my iPod. He is complete with lining, felt eyes & teeth & a popper fastening. Now all I need to do is work out how to use the iPod properly!! Hee hee! ;o)

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Daily Daviestribe Goes Mobile

In an effort to keep on top of this blogging malarky I am trying to set up my mobile phone so that I can post pictures & words on here wherever I may be. If you're reading this then I have finally been succesful! Hooray! And if you can see you can see a photo of Lee & the kids on a recent trip out for a meal then double hooray!! ;o)

Hope all who read are well. See you soon, I hope!

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Cycling in the Rain

So, here's what I did this afternoon with my friend Jo! Got caught in a thunder storm & got absolutely soaked but had a lot of fun cycling together. Here's to lots more lovely afternoons of cycling on my lovely new (ish) bike! Hope all who may still be reading this, are well. TTFN! :o)

Jars of Tears

It's been so long since I last posted on here that I had almost forgotten how to do upload piccies! Woops! ;o) Well, I could bore you readers (if I have any left after such a lengthy lapse) with reasons for the lack of blogging but I shall spare you that!

Here is a painting that I did a few months ago inspired by Psalm 56 verse 8 'You have stored my tears in bottles and counted each of them.' (Contemporary English Bible).

I love the thought of God caring for us so much that he has collected & counted every single tear that anyone who ever lived has have ever shed! Wow!

When I was doing a little research into the bible verse before I began my painting I discovered that in the Middle east in biblical times it was customary for wives of soldiers to have a special jar for them to cry into throughout the time that their husband or loved one was away fighting. The amount of tears collected in the bottle upon the soldier's return home signified how much he had been missed! I even found some photos on the internet of tear jars from Lebanon dating from bible times- beautiful, delicate glass bottles!
Psalm 56:8 has been a special verse to me since my teenage years. As time has progressed it has remained significant to me. The bottles in my painting are taken from my art college sketches of ceramic pots that I made as part of my degree & those that I studied in the Victoria & Albert museum in London. The jars are full of all kinds of tears- every day tears (in the jam jar!), special occasion tears, tears of sadness, tears of pain & frustration, happy tears.... in fact, any kind of tear!

A few years ago I read 'The Shack' by William Paul Young. I found it very emotional, inspiring & encouraging. This little excerpt really stood out for me. If you haven't read the book, this extract is taken from the part where Mackenzie has just arrived at the shack hoping to find his kidnapped daughter but instead is met by three characters representing God the trinity;

"The large black woman gathered his coat and he handed her the gun, which she took from him with two fingers as if it was contaminated. Just as she turned to enter the cabin, a small, distinctively Asian woman emerged from behind her. 'Here, let me take those,' her voice sang. Obviously, she had not meant the coat or the gun, but something else, and she was in front of him in a blink of an eye. He stiffened as he felt something sweep gently across his cheek. Without moving, he looked down and could see that she was busy with a fragile crystal bottle and a small brush, like those he has seen Nan and Kate use for makeup, gently removing something from his face.

Before he could ask, she smiled and whispered, 'Mackenzie, we all have things we value enough to collect, don't we?' His little tin box flashed through his mind. 'I collect tears.' (The Shack page 84).

Just today, I have displayed this painting in the prayer room at our church as part of the Easter Garden that I have created. You can see photos here although the website is yet to be updated with the photos of the painting, the rain drops & the fabric waterfall I added in there today. They will come soon! And also while you are taking a peek at the church website you may also wish to look here at what I created in the prayer room during Advent too! I've been a busy arty bee of late haven't I?

Well, that is all I have to write for the time being! I hope that this post gives you some interesting things to ponder. Thankyou to all my faithful friends who have kept checking the blog to see if I have updated it yet! I really appreciate it & hope you haven't been as annoyed with the lack of updates as I have been!! LOL!! And I hope you are all well!

PS One of the reasons for the delay in blogging was that we have changed our computer. Since the change over we have not yet been able to locate the disks to install my photo editing software. The bonus of this is that if you click on the pictures of my paintings you can view them REALLY big as I haven't been able to make them smaller! Enjoy! :o)

Wursery School

This little girl went to wursery (how she says nursery!) school today....

....wearing her ofform (uniform) & her new pink trainers (of which she is VERY proud)...

....and a cheeky little grin! She had a wonderful time & even used the 'dreaded' little toilets! What a star! We love you AJ! :o)

Hello 2011 (with just a few more fond memories from 2010)

As I stand at the beginning of the journey into 2011 I can't help but look behind me down the 'track' & ponder & reminisce just a little about the year that has just passed.

So many memories of celebrations & birthdays.
Growing things to eat & learning how to help each other.
Caring for Grandma & Grandad's chickens, & enjoying the eggs they laid!

Memories of a summer holiday that will probably be recounted in family history with a story that begins 'You remember the year we went on holiday & it rained & rained & rained?....' but was fun anyway! :o)

Our trip to Gloucester in a torrential shower of rain & the puddle that Luke stood in 'right up to his middle', or so he told us! Of a lovely afternoon spent in Gloucester Cathedral enjoying sculptures & inspiring art & walking through a labyrinth as a family praying & sharing a special moment together in God's presence despite the chaos all around us.

Times spent with family & friends (man & beast!) playing & enjoying each other's company.

Continuing to see the beauty & wonder of the little things in life, as only a child can help you to see them.

Rediscovering skills & pleasures long forgotten! Enjoying adventures as a family that were not previously thought possible!

Learning new skills & being endlessly creative with whatever comes to hand. (In the photo above, Timmy is using his new love of the Frisbee as a springboard for modern art- here he is a statue of Eve from the film Wall-e!)

There are the memories of feeding a family of swans by hand. The children were so excited by it that, yes, someone did fall in!

As I ponder 2010, I know that, however idyllic particular photos may look to the outsider, I will always know in which ones the children were squabbling or remember the tantrums that proceeded it!! Aaaaaah! Family bliss!

But despite the tears & bickering, 2010 was a year of hopes fulfilled, dreams stirred into the beginnings of reality, lessons learnt, an awakening of our desire to know God more & a time of drawing closer to him as a family & as individuals.

And as I turn back from the memories of the year just gone & look towards the year ahead, I know that whatever happens God is faithful & will keep his promises to us as we walk with him day by day. And what an adventure we will have! :o)